Socket for vacuum tubes



Jan. 5, 1932. v ALDEN 1,839,522

SOCKET FOR VACUUM TUBES Filed March 2, 1926 171116711307". 20 l 2/ 27666071 LflZcZeTo.

Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" 'MIIITON ALDEN, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY HESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO RADIO INVENTIONS, INC., A. CORPORATION Oil! NEW YORK SOCKET FOB VACUUM TUBES Application filed March 22, 1926. Serial No. 96,388.

This invention relates to a socket for a vacuum tube, and has for its object to provide a socket in which vacuum tubes of different types and having terminal pins of different diameters and different lengths may be inserted, .the contact members of said socket being constructed in such a manner that they will yieldingly engage the opposite sides of terminal pins of different diameters.

It is still further an object of the invention to so construct the contact members of the socket that the terminal pins of certaln types of vacuum tubes will also be yieldlngly engaged at their lower extremities by said contact members.

The invention consists in a socket for a vacuum tube as set forth in the following specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 represents a planview of a socket embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said socket.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 illustrating one type of vacuum tube in position in said socket.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 illustrating another type of Vacuum tube located within the socket.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the contact members. I

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 6 represents a base con- 5 structed of suitable insulating material and embodying therein a lower, circular, flanged portion 7 and a central raised portion 8 also circular in form and having a fiat top 9 through which extend a pair of openings 10 adapted to receive the terminal pins 11 of a vacuum tube 12 of well known construction. Another pair of openings 13 are also provided extending through the top 9, said openings being slightly larger than the openings 10 and being adapted to receive a pair of terminal pins 14 of said vacuum tube 12, said terminal pins 14 bein slightly greater in diameter than the termlnal pins 11.

A pluralit of resilient contact members 15 are provi ed for the terminal pins 11 and 14, each of said contact members embodying therein a flat portion 16 which is secured at one end thereof to the under side of the flange 7 by a screw 17 which also constitutes a binding post for a wire which forms an electric circuit conductor to said contact member. The flat portion 16 of each contact member 15 is adapted to yieldingly engage the lower extremity of a terminal pin 11 or 14 and form an electric circuit connection therewith. The

contact members 15 also embody therein a U-shaped end portion having a pair of oppositely disposed upwardly projecting arms 18 which are located upon opposite sides of the terminal pins, and said arms terminate in downwardly converging upper extremities having edges 20 which are adapted to yield- The contact members 15 also embody therein a downwardly projecting terminal portion 21 which may project through a base panel or member 24 to which the socket is attached, and in radio sets where the wire connections to'the socket are all concealed beneath the base panel, said wires may be connected to said terminal portions 21.

The arms 16 afford a spring support for the tube and the side arms such as 19 furnish cutting edges which afiord excellent contacts which adapt themselves to tube prongs of various sizes and locations.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a vacuum tube 5 22 of another well-known type positioned within the socket. @This vacuum tube is provided with a pluralit of terminal pins 23 all of which are of e same diameter and all of which are relatively shorter than are the terminal pins of the vacuum tube 12. When this form of vacuum tube is inserted within the socket, the contact members will not engage the lower extremities of the terminal pins, but the u per extremities of the contact members wil enga e the opposite sides of said contact pins an form a contact therewith in exactly the same manner as has been previousl described in connection with the vacuum tu e12.

The socket of this invention is adapted to receive all of the common types of vacuum tubes irrespective of the diameter and length of the terminal pins and the contact members will form an electrical connection with said terminal pins at, at least, two points thereon.

This is a partial continuation of appli'cants case #621,575, filed February 27, 1923, now Patent $1,580,942, with respect to a modification 0 the form shown in Fig. 7 of that patent.

I claim 1. A socket for a vacuum tube comprising, in combination, a base provided with a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the terminal pins of a vacuum tube, and a plurality of one-piece contact members fast to said base, each embodyin therein a main spring support and a palr o upwardly projecting arms with cutting edges adapted to yieldingly engage said terminal pins upon opposite sides t ereof.

2. A socket for a vacuum tube comprising, in combination, a base having an upper wall provided with a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the-terminal pins of a vacuum tube, and a plurality of one-piece contact members fast to said base, each embodying therein a main spring support and a pair of u wardly rojecting arms engaging the un ersideof the up er wall of the base and adapted to grip said terminal pins as point ad acent to the underside of said upper wall.

3. A socket for a vacuum tube comprising,

5 in combination, a base provided with a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the terminal pins of a vacuum tube, and a plurality of contact members fast to said base, each embodying therein a main spring support and 9 a pair of upwardly projecting arms having downwardly converging up er extremities, the latter having cutting e ges adapted to engage said terminal pins upon opposite sides thereof.

4. A socket for a vacuum tube comprising,

in combination, a base provided with a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the terminal pins of a vacuum tube, and a plurality of contact members fast to said base, each embodying therein a pair of u wardly projecting arms having downward y convergin upper extremities, the latter being adapted to engage said terminal pins upon op osite sides thereof, a flat resilient portion 0 said contact member between said arms being ada ted to engage the lower extremity of sai) terminal pins and yieldingly support a tu e.

I 5. A socket for a vacuum tube comprisin in combination, a base provided with a lura ity of openings therein adapted to receive the terminal pins of a vacuum tube, and a plurality of contact members fast to said base and embodying therein a. U-shaped end portion having upwardly rojecting arms terminating in downward y converging extremities adapted to engage said terminal pins upon 0 posite sides thereof, a resilient portion of sald contact members between said arms being adapted to engage the lower extremity of said terminal pins and yieldingly support a tube.

6. A vacuum tube socket comprising an insulating base having a top with perforations for the tube prongs, contact members having their outer ends secured to said base and provided with spring arms for resiliently resisting the insertion and supporting a tube, each spring arm having side portions extending toward the top of the base and terminating in reversely bent tips with cutting edges for engaging and scraping the sides of a prong, said top serving as a stop to limit the insertion of the prongs and to limit rotation of the tube.

7. A tube socket comprising an insulating base having a top with four perforations for the prongs of a tube, a conducting member corresponding with each of said perforations and each comprising a one-piece metallic strip with a spring arm having one end su ported by said base and the other end exten ing inwardly in line with one of the perforations, a spring finger integrally connected to the inner end of each arm and extending substantially at right angles to said arm and an inclined cam-like tip integrally connected to the upfper end of each spring finger adjacent one 0 said perforations said tips having cutting edges for scraping the edges of inserted tube prongs.

8. A vacuum tube socket comprising a support formed of insulating material and hav ing a group of passages spaced to receive the prongs of a tube, a one-piece conducting member associated with each passage and consisting of a resilient arm having its outer end secured to the underside of the support, and two spaced spring jaws integrally united with and supported by the inner end of each arm, said jaws being constructed and ar-' ranged to grip opposite sides of prongs of various diameters and each having contact edges inclined in line with the passa to be engaged by tube prongs inserted through the my hand.

MILTON ALDEN. 

